Joseph Beuys (1921-1986), who reached cult status in his native Germany, was perhaps the most important artist to emerge in Europe after WW II; he was certainly the most influential thinker and teacher among artists of the postwar generation. His doctrine was that "every man is an artist," and his more radical aims included a restructuring of the economy and free access to all educational institutions. Beuys considered art a medium for social and political change, and the prosaic materials he employed--felt, animal fat, and wax were among his favorites--had a spiritual dimension and could be invested by the artist with healing power. His iconic "felt suit," for instance, expresses the idea of physical warmth. Arranged chronologically and spanning four decades, this is the only book that provides a definitive survey of this innovative artist's work in every medium--from drawings, sculptures, and printed works to objects, environments, and actions.


From Library Journal
German artist Beuys (1921-86) produced a huge body of work across all media in pursuit of his idea of life as a total work of art, yet he lacks broad recognition in America. This is in part because many of his most intriguing installations and performances are either lost to posterity or impossible to relocate and in part because smaller individual pieces can seem hermetic outside the context of his philosophy and life. Happily, these two works as well as a touring exhibition of the multiples (Minneapolis, Omaha, Dublin, London, and San Jose through April 2000) may finally bring him wide renown. Borer's (art, Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Tours) work presents itself as catalog to an imaginary exhibition that collects 152 of the artist's most important works in all media and from the four decades he was active. Large, exquisite reproductions, with minimal captions, take up most of the pages. Borer's introductory essay energetically lays the bio-philosophical context for the works. Schellmann's catalogue raisonne of Beuys's more than 600 multiples?encompassing postcards, videos, prints, and sculptural works?was initiated with the artist's involvement in 1971. After seven various German-language incarnations, it now contains new essays and other additions from curators at the American museums that are copublishing the first English-language edition. This is simply the definitive catalogue on one of Beuys's most important bodies of work, and it belongs in all academic and larger public art collections. Borer's book is the first choice for medium-sized art collections in need of an "essential" introduction.?Eric Bryant, "Library Journal"Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) was one of the most original and influential artists of the twentieth century. Challenging the traditional confines of art, he embraced a broader, philosophically and politically based practice formulated in the dictum "Everyone is an artist." His unique approach to the creative process transformed materials such as felt, fat, honey, blood, wax, copper, and sulfur into fluent and expressive artistic media. Called the most olfactory artist in history, he preferred the smells of the pungent and decaying, just as he favored the indecent, ugly, and disfigured over the polished, shiny, tasteful products of city slickers and social seekers. His long-term radical aims included the introduction of direct democracy through referendum, free access to all educational institutions, and a restructuring of the economy based on ecological necessity.

The Essential Joseph Beuys was inspired by the idea of an imaginary Beuys exhibition unhampered by the problems connected with actual exhibitions, e.g., those of geography, insurance, fragility, and the concerns of lenders. The book provides a definitive survey of the artist's work in every medium in which he worked--drawings and watercolors, sculptures and objects, environments and actions, and multiples and printed works. Arranged chronologically and covering the four decades he was active (1945-1985), the book reflects the changes in Beuys's choice of register, from the soliloquy of his early days to the dialogue of his period as a teacher to the powerful language of his public lectures to international audiences.

In his introductory essay, "A Lament for Joseph Beuys," Alain Borer summarizes the artist's oeuvre, drawing out themes of great complexity and relating them to Beuys' artistic and social milieus.


About the Author
Alain Borer is Professor at the École des Beaux-Arts de Tours. He is an art critic, poet, playwright, and Rimbaud specialist.

ANNOTATION

The author considers the artist's work in all media.

FROM THE PUBLISHER